维吉尼亚华莱士, M.D.
One of Estill County’s most famous and best-loved citizens is Dr. 维吉尼亚华莱士, one of its very own native women. She was born April 27, 1911 to Bertha Rader Wallace and Dr. 特蕾西·华莱士. They resided in the large two story house on the corner of Main and Francis Streets. Dr. Virginia is the oldest of three children. Her sister, Louise Walden, married an optometrist, W.D. Walden and lived in Mt. 英镑. The youngest brother, Dr. 特蕾西·华莱士 became a cardiologist.
Dr. Virginia makes no great boast of becoming a doctor in a time when women’s careers in medicine were uncommon. She credits looking through her father’s medical journals and deciding, “This is something I want to do, 我能做到,” as her impetus for becoming a doctor. She attended premedical school at the University of Kentucky, where she graduated in 1932. From there she went to Philadelphia to the Women’s Medical College, a division of the University of Pennsylvania. She graduated in 1936, and did her internship in Allenstown. She returned to Irvine in 1937 to establish her practice, sharing the upstairs front rooms and offices of her father. The father-daughter medical practice meshed and flourished until his death.
Dr. Virginia’s career has seen many accomplishments and changes in the medical field. While she was an intern, a young child was brought in, diagnosed as having spinal meningitis. A quick, experimental dose of sulfa saved the child’s life. Another miracle drug to come along during her early career was penicillin, a turnaround in the treatment of pneumonia, which was almost always fatal.
Dr. Virginia’s loving care filled many cradles and happy, healthy babies. Until the local hospital was opened in 1059, Dr. Virginia traveled by car to Richmond for hospital deliveries and some home deliveries. The rest of the time she rode horse back, rowed a boat or walked into the hills and valleys of the county for home deliveries. Her hospital deliveries were, 据她说, in the good old days before twenty-hour quickies, Lamaze classes and gowned masked fathers and families in the delivery room. She liked the practice of having jittery fathers-to-be pacing in the waiting room rather than “in her face and in the way.” She related that men traditionally contributed little to the actual birthing process, and that she had witnessed too many men who fainted at the sights and sounds of birth.
Dr. Virginia was able to mesh and communicate with other doctors in Richmond and Lexington. When her own wisdom and skills as a general practitioner were exhausted, she would convince the patient to do to one of her hand-picked specialists. One such colleague, Dr. 威廉Clouse, a surgeon from Richmond, held a weekly clinic at the local hospital to meet prospective surgical patients whom she had already counseled. Hundreds of elective surgeries were performed at this hospital, with Dr. Virginia assisting and Sister David, as nurse anesthetist. Dr. Clouse complimented her medical expertise and wonderful bedside manner more than once. He was also impressed on how up-to-date she dept herself by reading and studying on her own.
“老博士. 华莱士”, as her father was affectionately called after his daughter came into the practice with him, engrained a rather unusual philosophy about patient fees into her way of operating the business side of her practice. He said, ”Don’t hold any books. If a patient is going to pay, he will. If he doesn’t intend to pay, he won’t.” As with her father before her, many fees were paid in hams, beans, eggs and corn. Some were never collected, but few people, if any, were turned away form the door. Occasionally someone will happen along to pay a long standing debt. Her recollection of the longest running bill was a man who came to her after twenty-five years to pay off the deliver fee for his child. 的费用? A whopping fifty dollars.
Dr. Virginia’s long professional career has included a time with the Kentucky Department of Health in Rockcastle and Estill County. She has also engaged in farming with her late husband, Marion (Penny) Lewis. They had one on son, Wallace Scott
Few people in Estill County’s history are more deserving of the honor and praise of the 荣誉堂 than Dr. 维吉尼亚华莱士, 她有她的智慧, kindness and stamina has served Estill County graciously for nearly sixty years.
Dr. Virginia makes no great boast of becoming a doctor in a time when women’s careers in medicine were uncommon. She credits looking through her father’s medical journals and deciding, “This is something I want to do, 我能做到,” as her impetus for becoming a doctor. She attended premedical school at the University of Kentucky, where she graduated in 1932. From there she went to Philadelphia to the Women’s Medical College, a division of the University of Pennsylvania. She graduated in 1936, and did her internship in Allenstown. She returned to Irvine in 1937 to establish her practice, sharing the upstairs front rooms and offices of her father. The father-daughter medical practice meshed and flourished until his death.
Dr. Virginia’s career has seen many accomplishments and changes in the medical field. While she was an intern, a young child was brought in, diagnosed as having spinal meningitis. A quick, experimental dose of sulfa saved the child’s life. Another miracle drug to come along during her early career was penicillin, a turnaround in the treatment of pneumonia, which was almost always fatal.
Dr. Virginia’s loving care filled many cradles and happy, healthy babies. Until the local hospital was opened in 1059, Dr. Virginia traveled by car to Richmond for hospital deliveries and some home deliveries. The rest of the time she rode horse back, rowed a boat or walked into the hills and valleys of the county for home deliveries. Her hospital deliveries were, 据她说, in the good old days before twenty-hour quickies, Lamaze classes and gowned masked fathers and families in the delivery room. She liked the practice of having jittery fathers-to-be pacing in the waiting room rather than “in her face and in the way.” She related that men traditionally contributed little to the actual birthing process, and that she had witnessed too many men who fainted at the sights and sounds of birth.
Dr. Virginia was able to mesh and communicate with other doctors in Richmond and Lexington. When her own wisdom and skills as a general practitioner were exhausted, she would convince the patient to do to one of her hand-picked specialists. One such colleague, Dr. 威廉Clouse, a surgeon from Richmond, held a weekly clinic at the local hospital to meet prospective surgical patients whom she had already counseled. Hundreds of elective surgeries were performed at this hospital, with Dr. Virginia assisting and Sister David, as nurse anesthetist. Dr. Clouse complimented her medical expertise and wonderful bedside manner more than once. He was also impressed on how up-to-date she dept herself by reading and studying on her own.
“老博士. 华莱士”, as her father was affectionately called after his daughter came into the practice with him, engrained a rather unusual philosophy about patient fees into her way of operating the business side of her practice. He said, ”Don’t hold any books. If a patient is going to pay, he will. If he doesn’t intend to pay, he won’t.” As with her father before her, many fees were paid in hams, beans, eggs and corn. Some were never collected, but few people, if any, were turned away form the door. Occasionally someone will happen along to pay a long standing debt. Her recollection of the longest running bill was a man who came to her after twenty-five years to pay off the deliver fee for his child. 的费用? A whopping fifty dollars.
Dr. Virginia’s long professional career has included a time with the Kentucky Department of Health in Rockcastle and Estill County. She has also engaged in farming with her late husband, Marion (Penny) Lewis. They had one on son, Wallace Scott
Few people in Estill County’s history are more deserving of the honor and praise of the 荣誉堂 than Dr. 维吉尼亚华莱士, 她有她的智慧, kindness and stamina has served Estill County graciously for nearly sixty years.